The Accidentals Series 06: Sold
by speshulduck
Summary: [au 6] Elliot and Olivia get their lives back on track as they investigate what appears to be a statutory rape case.
1. chapter one

title: sold - chapter one  
  
author: duck  
  
rating: pg-13  
  
summary: Elliot and Olivia get their lives back on track as they investigate what appears to be a statutory rape case.  
  
author's note: RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES!! no really, it is. happened in upstate new york about a month back. and the relatives i was visiting at the time laughed at me for taking notes on the newspaper article. names are changed, but supposedly albanian because i didn't want to change the nationality of the folks involved.  
  
disclaimer: hell, the case isn't even mine in this one.  
  
- Apartment of Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler -  
  
- Saturday October 30th 5:45pm -  
  
Olivia fumbled with her keys as she tried to pull them out of her pocket. Trying to juggle a few bags of groceries was not helping, so she gave up and banged her foot on the door, hoping Elliot would be there. It was his day with the kids, but that didn't mean they weren't there.  
  
She put her ear against the door, hoping to hear signs of life. She yanked her ear away when she heard the loud bang, and the yelling that followed in its wake made her worry for whoever was inside. It almost sounded like the twins were at it.  
  
The door jerked open to reveal Kathleen, who looked more harried than Olivia had ever seen her. "'Lo, Liv. Sorry, but I can't keep them from running all over everything."  
  
"You gimme that back!" she heard Liz squeal from the hallway. Dickie dashed into the living room, a teddy bear clutched tightly in his hands.  
  
"You stop hitting me for no reason and I'll give it back!" He hid behind the couch as Liz stomped into the room, righteous indignation on her face.  
  
"I do not hit you for no reason, Richard Elliot Stabler," Liz pronounced sharply. Next to Olivia, Kathleen sighed.  
  
"Stop trying to sound like Mom, Liz," she said. She reached out to take the bags from Olivia. "Dad's out getting dinner. He'll be back soon. He made sure to order beef and vegetables for you in case you came home."  
  
"Oh, thanks," Olivia said, only letting her take half of the bags. Kathleen shrugged and moved for the kitchen. Shooting one last look at the twins -- who were still quarreling over the back of the couch -- Olivia decided to leave them to their own devices and followed after Elliot's second daughter.  
  
She rather liked Kathleen, though she'd had more contact with Maureen before Kathy and Elliot's divorce. With Maureen off at college now, Kathleen was the oldest in the house and had taken on more responsibility in taking care of the eleven-year-old terrors, as she called them. While their visits with their dad had been awkward with Olivia around, they had soon reached an equilibrium in their relationship with their father's partner and roommate. Olivia treated Kathleen like a much younger sister and was afforded a measure of respect and friendship in return.  
  
The twins on the other hand, were as wild and rambunctious at Olivia's apartment as they were when they were at home. She and Elliot had been partnered up for almost half of their lives, and she figured they probably didn't see any reason to treat her any differently than they had before their parents' divorce.  
  
The sounds of their argument chased her into the kitchen where she found Kathleen already putting away the milk. "We just going to let them fight it out?" Olivia asked her. Kathleen shrugged and gave her a half grin.  
  
"I always do. They'll figure it out eventually, and then it'll be peaceable for a couple days until Liz hits Dickie again, or he breaks one of her toys."  
  
"She sure likes to hit him a lot," Olivia said, trying to keep her worry polite instead of blazingly obvious. She didn't want to interfere in the personal problems of Elliot's family -- no matter how close the two of them got -- while he wasn't around.  
  
"She doesn't really hit him hard, and more often than not he deserves it."  
  
Olivia didn't want to throw out the old "violence never solved anything" advice, so she went with the family dynamics instead. "I sure wish I'd had a sibling around when I was growing up."  
  
"You're an only child?"  
  
Olivia looked at her, startled. She'd forgotten that Elliot's kids had no idea about her personal history; there wasn't any cause for she or Elliot to have told them. She watched Kathleen for a moment as she continued to put groceries away. In all their contact Olivia had noticed Kathleen had a quiet maturity and seriousness about her that reminded Olivia of herself when she was that age.  
  
"I mean, sometimes I wish I could have been an only child, or maybe even just the oldest. Right now I should be studying for my SATs, but I keep getting distracted by the twins."  
  
"I've just realized you haven't any idea about who I really am, do you?" Olivia asked. Kathleen gave her a quizzical look, and Olivia decided to plunge ahead. "My mother raised me by herself, though I can't say she did the best job even given the circumstances."  
  
"What circumstances?" Kathleen asked curiously, the groceries forgotten.  
  
"I'm the child of a rape. And since they never caught the guy, I don't even know who my father is."  
  
An "oh" formed on Kathleen's lips, but the sound didn't quite come out. Olivia could practically see her digesting the information behind her eyes. "How did your mother not do a good job raising you? I mean, you seem pretty all right to me."  
  
Olivia wanted to congratulate her on not saying that she was sorry. Every time someone found out about her past they usually tried to offer sympathy. It was something she was getting tired of. "She drank a lot. Left me by myself. It wasn't until I was an adult and had been out of her house for a few years that we really connected."  
  
"Are you friends now? Like how my Mom and Maureen are starting to be?"  
  
"We were."  
  
"'Were?'"  
  
"She died a few years ago." Olivia busied herself with the head of lettuce that lay on the counter, unsure if she should tell Kathleen about the circumstances of her mother's death. Whether it was because she could tell Olivia didn't want her to ask or if she genuinely wasn't interested, Kathleen didn't ask.  
  
"Were you two still on good terms when she died?"  
  
Olivia carefully considered how to answer that. They had been before her death, actually, but after she died Olivia'd been angry with her. She killed herself with the drinking, though she knew she'd partially been angry with herself for never being enough to keep her mother from it.  
  
"I guess that's kind of personal, sorry."  
  
"Don't apologize." Olivia sighed and continued on. "She drank herself into a stupor and fell down some steps. We were actually doing okay for a while, but after she died I was angry with a lot of things. Myself included."  
  
"Why were you angry with yourself?"  
  
"Because I couldn't stop her." She felt the tears in her eyes, but managed to hold them back. "And because I wasn't enough to stop her from destroying herself."  
  
"That's not your fault." Olivia could hear the uncertainty in Kathleen's voice, probably because she wasn't entirely sure what to say.  
  
"I used to think when I was younger that if I could just do a little better in school, make more friends, be better, she'd love me more. I guess I always felt I wasn't good enough for her."  
  
"Well I think she'd be proud of you now. I mean, you help rape victims every day. I'm sure that would mean a lot to her."  
  
Olivia gave her a small smile. "Thank you, but she didn't approve of me joining Special Victims."  
  
They were both quiet for a moment, Olivia not sure what else there was to say and hoping Kathleen would want to talk about something else. Finally, Kathleen spoke. "Thank you for sharing that with me. It means a lot that you'd trust me with that."  
  
"You're very much like your father, I think," Olivia said, her smile widening. "I had to tell him about it when I joined SVU. He had pretty much the same reaction. It's nice to not be offered apologies."  
  
"Why apologize for something we didn't do?"  
  
Olivia laughed, marveling at how very much like Elliot she was. "Whatever you want to be when you grow up, Kathleen, I think you'd make an excellent cop, just like your dad."  
  
"The hell she's gonna follow me into that!" Olivia spun around as Elliot's voice intruded into the kitchen.   
  
"Elliot! I didn't hear you come in."  
  
"I come bearing dinner," he said, thrusting the aromatic bags of Chinese food out in front of him. "And I made sure to order you something in case you got home early."  
  
"Beef and vegetables, I hear," Olivia said, nodding in Kathleen's direction. She'd resumed putting away the groceries and Elliot cast an inquisitive eye on her.  
  
"When did you learn where everything goes?"  
  
"Please, Dad," Kathleen said, rolling her eyes at him. "You've lived here for how many months now? I think it's safe to say I'm well acquainted with the kitchen."  
  
Olivia rested against the counter, savoring the privilege of watching them. She felt a stab of jealousy over never having had this herself, but let it flow through her. She explored the emotion, seeking out its source and acknowledging it as valid. A scant two weeks with a therapist and she was already feeling better and exercising more control.  
  
Elliot must have caught the grin the instant it split her face because he matched it with a dazzling smile of his own. "What are you so happy about?"  
  
"Kathleen and I just had a nice talk is all. Why don't I go get Dickie and Liz so we can start eating?"  
  
"Where are they?" Elliot asked, swinging his head to scan for them. Almost as if on cue, music blasted in from the living room. Even a nice waltz sounded obnoxious when played at an earsplitting level. Elliot grimaced. "You sure you want to deal with them?"  
  
"I think I can handle it, El."  
  
-----  
  
Left in the kitchen by themselves, Elliot gave his daughter an affectionate smile and started to lie out their dinner. She finished putting away the groceries and watched him without saying a word. He was aware of how her eyes followed his every movement and wondered if he was about to be the target of a joke or a serious discussion. He desperately wanted to ask what she and Olivia had talked about, but he knew better than to pry.  
  
"So I was using your room to study earlier," she finally said. In the middle of dishing out the rice, he was careful to seem less interested in where this was going to go.  
  
"That's perfectly all right," he said.  
  
"You know, if you and Olivia started dating I don't think I'd mind too much."  
  
Rice spilled all over the floor. "Whatever gave you that idea?"  
  
She grinned at the mess he'd made. "I mean, I think if you guys gave Dickie a little brother he might lay off Lizzie and not cause so much trouble."  
  
More rice joined the rice already on the floor as he accidentally upended the bowl into which he'd been scooping it. Kathleen burst out laughing at that. "You know, Dad, it really is way too easy to get you riled up."  
  
"What brought this on?" He inhaled deeply and decided to go where he knew he shouldn't. "What exactly did you and Liv talk about?"  
  
"Ah, so there is something there," she said, casually bracing her chin on her hand. "I was just fishing," she explained helpfully.  
  
"You...were..." Elliot took another gulp of air and glared at his middle child. "Maybe Liv was right. Maybe you should be a cop."  
  
"Or one of those crime scene investigator workers. I only said something because your bed actually had dust on it."  
  
Elliot blinked at her. He and Liv had only been sharing a bed for...three weeks? Dust couldn't possibly accumulate in three weeks.  
  
"There's no way--"  
  
"Got my shirt all dusty, actually, so yes, there is a way." Kathleen smirked at the way his jaw was hanging slightly open. "So I guess you're sleeping in her bed, then."  
  
"It's not what you're thinking it is," he said warily. He didn't want to divulge too much information, but he could tell she wouldn't believe him if he lied. "Maybe you should try to be less like me and more like your mother."  
  
"Can't help who's genes I inherited," she said, shrugging diffidently. "Maureen's going to be the nurse. I haven't decided what I'll study yet."  
  
"I'd suggest criminal justice, but I'm still not sure I want you working a job that ruins your family life and exposes you to the horrors of what I have to see every day."  
  
"My decision, not yours."  
  
"But I'll be paying for it," he shot back, pressing his lips together. The smirk returned to her face and he finally sighed in the face of it. "Oh hell, you know you can study whatever you want. I'm not going to try and control your life. I just hope Dickie and Lizzie don't decide they want to be cops too."  
  
"Dickie's still in his astronaut stage and Lizzie wants to be a fashion designer," Kathleen filled in.  
  
"Great."  
  
"That's normal for this age. When I was eleven I wanted to be a soccer star and a model. Thank God I grew out of that." She gave him a genuine smile. "Though I do appreciate the hours of practice you invested in seeing that I became a good goalie."  
  
"Whatever my children want, I give it. Makes up for not being there all the time."  
  
"Whatever," she scoffed. "Except when you tried to impart your life's lessons, I always enjoyed the time you spent with me. And it wasn't too little, either."  
  
"Sorry. At least you never got the brunt of me bringing my cases home with me like Maureen did."  
  
"And Mom," Kathleen added quietly. "She used to hate it when you talked about work, but when you stopped she only hated it more."  
  
"I never could strike a balance with her," Elliot said, frowning. "When did you get all grown up about things?"  
  
"When I realized that life wasn't always fair, but I had parents who loved me and never hesitated in showing it, unlike some other people." His wan smile encouraged her to continue. "Liv told me about her mom, and that she was raped."  
  
"What else did you two talk about?" Elliot asked sharply, wondering if Olivia had told her about their own experiences. He and Kathy had decided it would be best to not tell Kathleen and the twins about what had really happened just yet. As far as they still knew, he and Olivia had only been kidnapped for several hours until the police had found them.  
  
"Just her relationship with her mother." There wasn't any way she could know what he was actually worried about. "Don't worry, Dad, it's not like she gave me details or anything."  
  
"It's okay," he said, relieved she didn't suspect anything. "I just don't want you exposed to things like that, yet."  
  
"I see it on TV all the time," she said, giving him a playful grin. "I've watched all the cop shows since I was eight."  
  
"Far too early," he said, sighing regretfully. A frown creased his face as it occurred to him that Olivia and the twins should have appeared by now. "What happened to Liv?"  
  
Kathleen glanced at the door and chuckled. "I hope they haven't hog-tied her."  
  
"Should we go investigate?"  
  
"You're the cop."  
  
"And you're the too-observant-for-her-own-good one."  
  
Laughing, they both moved towards the living room. They found the music still playing, albeit much quieter, and Olivia leading a very bashful Dickie around the room to the beat of a slow waltz. He beamed at Elliot when he caught sight of them.  
  
"Liv's showing me how to dance! She says all the girls at school will love it."  
  
"He's quite good at it, actually," Olivia said, smiling indulgently down at him.  
  
"Shouldn't he still be in his 'girls have cooties' phase?" Elliot whispered in Kathleen's ear. She laughed at him.  
  
"Dickie's developed a mild crush on Liv. He probably still thinks all girls his age have cooties, but he'd do anything to get her to pay attention to him."  
  
Elliot frowned again, thinking that could be bad if he and Olivia ever did pursue a romantic relationship. But one look at the adoration in Dickie's eyes brought back memories of his own school boy crushes. They were harmless and he'd probably move on soon enough. He probably wouldn't even need a talk from Elliot to get over it, either.  
  
"Liv must have not figured that out yet. She probably won't be too happy when she finds out."  
  
"And what do you think of it?"  
  
"I'm more amused than anything else," he confessed, matching his son's smile. His phone rang shrilly from its place on his hip. He sighed, his smile gone. This could either be Kathy saying she was coming over for the kids or a case demanding his and Olivia's attention. He unsnapped in from its holster and answered it.  
  
"Stabler."  
  
"Elliot, it's Cragen. There's a rape case I need you and Olivia on."  
  
"Captain," Elliot said, sighing into the phone, "can't Fin and Munch take it? I've got my kids here."  
  
Kathleen moved away from him, giving him privacy. He watched her as she settled down on the couch next to Lizzie, who'd been watching Olivia and Dickie with fascination.  
  
"Sorry, but they're out on that stalker case. I can't pull them off it. If it gets much bigger we'll all be working it soon."  
  
"All right."  
  
Cragen gave him the information and hung up. He looked wistfully at the wonderfully domestic scene spread out in front of him. He hated to disrupt it, but he and Olivia had their job to do.  
  
[tbc] 


	2. chapter two

title: sold - chapter two  
author: duck  
rating: pg-13  
author's note: hey look, the case.  
disclaimer: not mine. never will be. oh-so-sad.  
  
- Memorial Hospital -  
- 6753 East 125th Street -  
- Saturday October 30th 7:46pm -  
  
Olivia was in an extraordinarily good mood, especially considering that it was a Saturday night and they were here to interview a rape victim. She glance a few paces behind her to where her surly partner stood, his eyes moodily scanning the small crowd in the emergency room waiting area. She knew the cause of his increasingly foul disposition, and as bad as it made her feel, it was the same reason she was in a good mood. They'd just dropped off Elliot's kids at the house, and while he was upset that their visit had been cut short, she was still caught up in the pleasant feelings that suffused her every time they were around. Maybe it was just her lack of family growing up, but she genuinely enjoyed having Elliot's kids around. Perhaps more than Elliot himself.  
  
She glanced at his grumpy face again and smiled. Maybe not. For all their issues, she enjoyed his company more than she had any of her friends or boyfriends. Even the serious ones.  
  
But these few seconds were enough time wasted gushing over him like a hormone-stricken girl. Especially if he was going to be pulling his grouchy act tonight. She left him behind to find the reception desk. She quickly spied it in the middle of a cluster of people.  
  
"Excuse me," she said, simultaneously pushing through the small crowd and pulling out her badge. "Excuse me," she repeated. Despite the gold shield flashing in her hand, she was still subjected to glares of intense and bitter hostility as she gently shoved her way through.  
  
The gray-haired nurse behind the counter gave her a wry grin. "Sorry about this. The coffee machine's broken, otherwise the Saturday night crowd is relatively tame."  
  
"That's no problem," Olivia said with a dismissive wave of her hand. She glanced back again at her partner before continuing. He was standing with his hands on his hips, pushing his trench coat off to the sides. She rolled her eyes at the attitude oozing from his stance and returned her gaze to the nurse. "Olivia Benson, Manhattan Special Victims Unit. That's my grumpy partner back there. We're here about the rape case."  
  
"Room 22, second floor," the nurse replied without hesitation. "The kit's already been sent out for analysis and one of the morning shift nurses is still with her." A frown creased her features. "That girl's in pretty rough shape. You catch the man that did this to her, you hear?"  
  
Olivia nodded and moved out of the way of the crowd, not surprised by the nurse's vitriol. She moved in Elliot's direction, but he met her halfway, grumpy mask still pulled down tightly over his eyes.  
  
"Can we hurry up and get this done?" he asked. She had to resist the sudden need to hit him.  
  
"Look, Elliot, I realize you're pissed we had to leave your kids, but try not to take it out on me." She drew in a deep breath, proud that she'd managed to keep her cool and not snap at him. Keeping her temper under control had always been easier with Elliot, but most of her self-control was hard-won on her therapist's couch. She still had a long way to go of course, but she still rejoiced in how far she'd come in only a couple weeks worth of sessions.  
  
"Sorry, Liv," he said, though he didn't really sound it. She decided to let it slide, lest she get the "you-don't-have-kids-you-wouldn't-understand" speech. She usually got that when she took him to task for taking a child's case too seriously, but she had a feeling he'd toss it at her in this situation too.  
  
"Don't worry about it, El. Our vic's on the second floor, room 22." She headed for the stairs without another word, and it must've come off as upset, because she felt his hand on her arm after a few steps.  
  
"I really am sorry, Olivia," he said, turning her to face him. His eyes held a wearied worry in them. It was unfortunately an all-too-familiar expression these days. "I was just looking forward to spending more than a couple hours with them"  
  
"I understand, Elliot," she said, giving his arm an affectionate squeeze. "I like spending time with your kids too."  
  
"I like having you around then." He offered her a tentative smile. "It's like my family's not quite as broken."  
  
My family. Subtle reminder that she wasn't part of it. It stung, even though she knew he hadn't meant it like that. Sometimes she thought her counseling sessions were making her too sensitive to people's diction. Though if she really thought it through, she knew she'd been worse before.  
  
"Thanks," she said, managing a smile. "I like feeling like I'm part of your family." She turned to go again, but he stopped her.  
  
"Olivia, you know you are part of that family, right? It's not just something you should 'feel' every now and then." Her heart skipped a beat at the warmth in his eyes and his words. Damn him, for being able to do this to her.  
  
"That means a lot to me, Elliot. Thank you." She shook off the pleasant rush of feelings quickly. "But we have our jobs to do right now."  
  
"Yeah," he said, the irritation returning to his voice. "But I...aw, hell, I don't know anymore. I just want to go home and pretend there's nothing in the world except my kids for once." He scrubbed his face with his hands, sighing through them in an exasperated exhaustion.  
  
"Elliot, as hard as it is to say this, can we talk about it later? I understand, I really do, but there's a woman upstairs who needs our help."  
  
"Duty always calls. I know." His gaze at her was almost wistful. "Ever wonder if we'd have met if we weren't doing this?"  
  
"I try not to think about the delightful possibility of never having met you," she shot at him, smiling and heading for the stairs. He quickly fell into step next to her.  
  
"I wonder what we'd have been like."  
  
"Not bitter and jaded, I imagine."  
  
"I wonder if we'd have been friends."  
  
"Would you stop wondering about things that don't matter?" she asked, maddened with his questions. "We're friends now, aren't we? What might have happened doesn't matter."  
  
He got the door to the stairs before she did, pushing it open for her. "You never think about things like that?"  
  
"I used to when I was younger," she replied, brushing by him. "But I gave up on maybes a long time ago." She heard him following her up the stairs, finally quiet again. He was probably thinking about the possible implications of what she'd said. He might've not asked her about it before, but they were both pursuing such an open honesty with each other that she doubted he'd remain quiet for very long.  
  
They reached the second floor before he finally asked the question that was probably burning him. "Your mother or your father?"  
  
"Both."  
  
"You want to talk about it?"  
  
"Not really. Maybe we can discuss families and psychological problems stemming from various family arrangements and dysfunctions later."  
  
"It's a date," he said, and she glanced at him quickly enough to catch his grin.  
  
"Glad to see your bad mood's gone."  
  
"What can I say? Talking with you about maybes and could've beens seems to be a real cheer." He stopped in the middle of the hallway and pointed at a closed door. "Room 22 you said?"  
  
She followed the line of his finger with her eyes and drew in a deep breath. "Room 22. Why don't you wait in the doorway until we can get a bearing on her emotional state."  
  
She stepped up to the door and knocked softly, simultaneously twisting the knob and pushing gently. She only opened the door a crack, but she felt it pull away from her and she found herself face-to-face with a tight-lipped nurse.  
  
"Are you the detectives?" she asked, her voice low.  
  
"I'm Detective Benson," Olivia said, flashing her badge, "and this is my partner, Detective Stabler. We're from Manhattan Special Victims Unit."  
  
"Erin Fletcher. She's been very unresponsive all day," the nurse said. She stepped back and Olivia followed her into the room. She was aware of Elliot behind her as he moved into her former place in the doorway, but focused all her attention on the bed. A teenaged girl lay deathly still under the sheets, staring at the ceiling.  
  
"How old is she?" Olivia breathed.  
  
"We're not sure, since she doesn't have any form of identification. We think she's about fourteen or fifteen. She was raped repeatedly and shows signs of prolonged abuse. Whoever did this did it over a long period of time." The nurse sighed. "She stumbled into the ER this morning by herself, crying."  
  
Olivia turned to look at Elliot behind her, seeing her own horror mirrored in his eyes. What could've been didn't seem to matter as much anymore.  
  
-tbc-  
  
yeah, i'm still alive and writing. 


End file.
